Fake Smiles
by Shiroi Iyasu
Summary: 'I don't say anything about myself, because, I love you.' One-sided Sheelos, implied Zelette. Spoilers for the Tower of Salvation visits.


I was up at one in the morning, typing this with low sugar and some sleep - okay, maybe not the second part, but yeah. Whatever.

Enjoy~

(Edit - I just noticed some grammer mistakes and stuuuuuff. Nothing but the last line has changed really)

* * *

_I saw you by an empty door._

Sheena had heard the rumors.

She heard of a lavish Chosen, hair a flaming redish-orange, eyes a bright aqua blue that lit up at the sight of giggling woman, only wanting to be with him. She heard of his antics - they were all banned within tradition of Mizuho's culture. It was a rule to be held, no matter who the chief was - and of his various sly tricks. She heard of his nature to be dark, perhaps even merciless if he wanted to be, but seemed to find no reason to be.

Sheena heard the rumors, yet she foolishly pushed them aside like an idiot in love.

_You are staring out at the light from your darkness._

When the ninja watches the Chosen - "Zelos, my sweet hunny." She suppressed an urge to blush as he said that - she often feels a strange sensation of being watched. Her eyes and ears seem to trick her, but she knows the various pranks and mess ups around her weren't real, rather, on purpose. She knows that in the far corners of her vision, she sees pairs of eyes, all vibrant colors yet look a dangerous emerald green to her.

She shouldn't have walked into this. Why was she so concerned for him?

**Why?**

_I take your hand, pulling you out with a surprised face while mine smiles._

"Hey, it's that Mizu-whatever girl."

She sees glares and stares moving off to her, giving her pairs of piercing orbs that seem so much like tiny throwing knives, meant to hit the target as they cut through the air. It felt so much like that.

Her gaze fell to the brick-scattered floors of Meltokio's roads, trying to ignore how they seemed so spiteful of her. After all, she was rather unusually close for a girl out in some village to the Chosen One. Sometimes, she wonders how she ever happened to meet him. How did she come to care for the person who had changed from kind and often quiet to flirtatious and annoying? Why was she still caring for him, even with the change?

Things never answered her. Never have.

She sees something being thrown to her. She takes a step back to avoid it, finding a carelessly thrown knife stabbing the ground, obviously by one of the girls slowly approaching her, venomous intents in mind. She spun around, finding all exits - except for the sky - closed. She saw one unsheathe a couple more of those daggers - poison coated, she noted.

_If I try to get away by roof top... I might still get hurt. They might even hurt each other, and blame it on me!_ If they would do something like this to her, who wouldn't say they'd turn the tides against her? She clenched her eyes shut, hands lingering over her cards - should she need them - and waited.

"What's happening here?"

She heard a mass shuffle of feet, her eyes opening to see a stern face upon what should have been lively and grinning. The noble ladies hid away the daggers and weapons, smiling another one of their fake smiles. "Oh, Chosen One! We were just talking to your little friend."

He looked over them, then at her. "...Really, Sheena?"

One of them shot her a glare, unable to hold it in ("She got called by first name! First name!" were the whispers that came). A smile crawled onto her face, slowly with hesitance yet filled with fakeness. "Y-Yeah..." Zelos seemed pleased on hearing that, already taking her hand and walking away, chatting about various other things like the newest present he got from his wonderful 'hunnies'. She occasionally looked over her shoulder, finding nothing but empty, deserted streets behind her when she knew she saw someone lurking there. She saw pairs of emerald eyes, glowing eerily in the nighttime city that were filled with disgust, always lingering in the corners of her eyes.

"Sheena, you okay?"

"Yeah, I am."

_You stare out at the bright world as I stand beside you, holding hands._

Whenever she sees Zelos flirting (as usual) with the others, she immediately averts her gaze, pretending to hate him as she notices those eyes watch her the moment she comes within distance. They still float there, but she knows they've lessened.

Sometimes, she wished for the days where they were both free to show their relationship as friends, able to sit at Zelos' mansion and eat from a bowl of chocolate without worrying about anyone spying them from the windows before spreading ugly rumors. She wished she could hold his hand, smile like how she used to instead of getting annoyed with a new, perverted side that couldn't have formed in a mere six years. Sometimes, she wanted to stare out at the scenery from one of the towering roof tops of Meltokio's buildings, sitting side-by-side without a care in silence.

_Instead_, she thinks bitterly, walking away without even stealing a glance at him, _I have to stand behind him, just watching._

_Suddenly, I see you further away._

"How could you...?"

Zelos just shrugs, his sword out and pointing to Lloyd. His wings were already out, flapping behind him with a flare of orange light - it wasn't warm like she expected. "If you were in my place, you'd understand." A grim smile appears, darker than the carefree smirk he always wore, almost constant as if it was plastered to his face as an empty mask. Perhaps it was one - a fake.

"But you aren't. Sheena, you aren't."

When it was all over, he looked peaceful - and seemed more than a world away.

_When I see you again, smiles vanish._

"You betrayed us...!"

"To get the Aionis. It was for a good cause."

Yes, it was. But he didn't have to break her heart without even knowing it through such a false act...!

Then again, he always acted lies perfectly.

_It takes time before I manage to hold your hand again._

Sheena wasn't sure what to say when he appeared by a doorstep, drenched in rain. His wings - they still gave away waves of frigid coldness, no matter how many times she's seen them flicker there like the flames of a fireplace - were fluttering behind his back, giving away a tell-tale clue to how he came here without a Rheaird. Her first reaction was to let him in, but she picked the second, which was to frown annoyingly and ask (demand) for the reason to why he was here. His answer was just a shrug, saying he was just passing the area before the rain came.

She didn't believe it, yet her feelings still let him in anyway.

Her guest manners made herself useful. A towel and two cups of steaming green tea later, she found herself watching silently as Zelos dried himself off (his wings were still out, though she had no idea why really. Perhaps he would leave soon? Good. She didn't want to see him any longer than several minutes). The silence was unbearable, her hands sitting on the kotatsu as her nails clattered idly against its surface. She needed to do something to get her mind off this. Anything.

Shifting uncomfortably, her eyes moved to a window. "...Why are you here, really?" Chocolate orbs shot back to him on some strange impulse, a frown already formed. "And don't think you can get away with a lie." _I hate your lies, because you always lie. About everything. _

_I haven't seen anything real since those six years before. It hurts, even if I don't want to admit it._

"Heh, caught me." The towel was off his head, sitting beside him in a crumpled mess. He leaned forward a little, hands wrapping around his steaming, pebble-colored cup while a smile - it didn't look fake, perhaps grim, but for once, it wasn't fake - formed, already beginning whatever tale he was going to weave. Surprisingly, it didn't sound like any tale.

"I just wanted... to say sorry."

Her eyes narrowed. "Why should I believe that?"

He looked down at his tea, his reflection staring like a mocking reminder. "You don't have to." He looked up at her, expression soft. She felt like believing though. She didn't want to think it was a lie.

Yet he always lied. Who said it couldn't be one as well?

He sighed, already drinking down his tea. She wasn't sure how he managed to not spit it out a split-second later. Maybe it was cooled already, or it was just his angel senses. She hoped it wasn't the latter. It… It didn't sound _right_.

"Anyway," he held out a gloved hand to her. The action sent a brief expression of surprise, but she hid it away with a raised eyebrow and skeptical looks. "Even if I don't want to be cliché and all through this... friends, Sheena?"

She glanced down at it, her hand twitching to accept it, yet hesitating.

She took it, the frown lightening yet still so very there. "Don't betray us again, alright? I'll make sure you get hit by Volt then."

"Right, right~!" He waved the playful threat away, grinning.

_When I look at you again, I smile - as fake as you used to be._

Sheena looked down, eyes following the neat lines of handwriting she had come to recognize over years of letters and writing, yet unable to take in the words properly. Swallowing, she placed the golden-rimmed letter - a feature that appeared always on letters from Meltokio - on a table, staring at it with fearful eyes and clenched fists.

'_Dear Sheena Fujibayashi,_

_You have been invited to the wedding of the two Chosens of Aselia's twin countries - Sylvarant and Tethe'alla - Colette Brunel and Zelos Wilder respectively. The date is the 14th of Undine, which is set in two weeks. The setting shall be the Church of Martel in the Capital City of Meltokio, Tethe'alla. You may send a letter as a response to this event._

_Sincerely, _

_Zelos Wilder and Colette Brunel.'_

_They're... getting married..._ the newly-appointed chief repeated in her mind. A smile slowly curled on her face, bitter in all ways. _I... I should be happy for them. No, I _am_ happy for them... yeah..._

She didn't feel her nails dig into her skin. The pain felt surreal.

_I don't say anything about myself, because, I love you._

"Besides... you're happy now," she muttered her thoughts aloud. Good thing no one was around to hear her. "If I love you, I should make sure you're happy. Isn't that what real love is…?"

_Yet I know that somewhere, my heart was breaking from my own lies._

* * *

I have not played Symphonia - heck, I don't even a GameCube - but I do know the basic storyline and stuff... just not the exact details. So if there are any facts that are wrong (I _do_ know about the betrayal scenes with Zelos... just not _exactly_ what happens) then you can blame the fact I don't quite know what happened.

Guess I should say I got inspired by a reccent songfic with onesided Sheelos. *hint hint*

Review and no flaming! Flames shall be destroyed with _Judgment_!

~Shiroi


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